


You're at the Top of My List

by Ineedapuppyandsomevodka



Series: Buddie Christmas Prompts [3]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Buddiemas 2020, Christmas Shopping, Family, M/M, Traditions, absolute idiots who are in love with each other, hand holding, it's really just sap, so go into it knowing that
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:02:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28018161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ineedapuppyandsomevodka/pseuds/Ineedapuppyandsomevodka
Summary: The last time he was over at the Diaz house, he had practically decorated the entire place while Eddie was on shift. His heart did things he didn’t expect them to, and when Chris had invited Buck over for Christmas and that look ofdoubtwashed over his face, thinking that he would impose on their plans, made Eddie want to track down anyone and everyone that made Buck feel like he wasn’t worthy.
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley & Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)
Series: Buddie Christmas Prompts [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2042251
Comments: 3
Kudos: 82
Collections: Buddiemas 2020





	You're at the Top of My List

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! This could _technically_ be a standalone fic, but will make more sense if you read the other two parts to the series!

Eddie Diaz loved his family. Sure, they were hard to be around at times, and they weren’t always supportive of him or his decisions or how he raised his son, but they were still his family. Eddie was wildly protective of his family, and as of late he was beginning to realize that Evan Buckley was a part of his family.

The last time he was over at the Diaz house, he had practically decorated the entire place while Eddie was on shift. His heart did things he didn’t expect them to, and when Chris had invited Buck over for Christmas and that look of _doubt_ washed over his face, thinking that he would impose on their plans, made Eddie want to track down anyone and everyone that made Buck feel like he wasn’t worthy. 

The thing was despite Buck not saying much about the topic, Eddie knew that there was something that happened between him and his family. He wasn’t sure what it was, and no amount of subtle hints or prying seemed to get Buck talking. There were undertones in conversations that Buck and Maddie would have that would state that complicated didn’t even scratch the surface. 

So, what was Eddie to do, other than making sure that Buck knew that he was a part of _his_ family?

Naturally, Eddie did something that he wasn’t really going to love (but he liked, nonetheless) but would bring a smile to both Buck and Christophers faces... He texted Buck asking if he would go see Santa with them. 

Santa also meant Christmas shopping and taking his boys out to lunch, and then going home to watch movies and drink hot cocoa and anything else he could do to make Buck comfortable.

***

Family was a hard concept for Buck, especially around the holidays. Everyone seemed to have everyone except for him. Hen had Karen and Nia and Denny. Bobby had Athena, her kiddos, and even Michael. Eddie had Christopher and Pepa and his Abuela. Chimney had Maddie and the Lees and Albert. 

Buck was just Buck. 

He loved Christmas because it was a holiday where he could do something for everyone. He loved to go Christmas shopping and buy gifts that he knew would bring a smile to a person’s face.

This year, though, felt a little different. It probably had a lot to do with the kiss that he and Eddie had, but even still, he didn’t really feel like he fit. They hadn’t talked about it the last time that Buck was over when he thought that they might. He was going to bring it up after Christopher went to bed, but Eddie looked beat and he chickened out. 

He just didn’t want to feel alone this Christmas, and despite feeling like he had more family surrounding him than ever before, he felt hopelessly alone. 

Sure, Eddie had said that he was family, but was he? Or was he just that friend-family that Eddie enjoyed keeping around for company? It’s not that Buck would hate him if that were the case, he just wanted to know. 

But then he got a text from Eddie on his next day off asking for him to go to the mall with them, and Buck couldn’t say no. 

So, naturally, he went. It’s not like it was an inconvenience for him. It seemed to have become a tradition that he and the Diaz boys would go see Santa together every year. He loved it. 

He just couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy and out of place. He felt like he was an imposition, and that Eddie was only inviting him because he felt like he had to. Buck certainly hoped that wasn’t the case. 

“Buck!” Christopher grins, crutching his way over to where he was standing and waiting for them at the entrance of the mall. 

“Hey, bud,” he smiled, scooping him into a hug. He set him back down and ruffled his hair, only to be pulled into a hug from Eddie. He wasn’t expecting it; normally they would nod at each other and go about their lives casually. Eddie hugging him? Well, that was typically circumstantial. 

“Hey, Buck,” Eddie smiles as he pulls away, and was that a blush creeping up on his cheeks? Was Eddie blushing?

“Hey, Eds,” Buck smiles back, attention quickly pulled away by Christopher who was tugging at his arm.

“Come on! We have to get in line to see Santa!” He urges, and Buck can’t help but laugh. 

“Okay, okay, okay,” Buck smiles, bumping shoulders with Eddie as he turns to follow his son. 

Conversation with Eddie and Christopher always flowed easily. There was never a lack of discussion topics and even if there were, the silence was comfortable. Usually, with other people, the silence was deafening. 

While they were standing in line for Santa, Eddie’s hand slipped into Buck’s, and gave it a squeeze. Buck’s heart stopped for a fraction of a second, and then his stomach filled with butterflies and he felt the hint of a blush creeping upon his cheek. Once his brain came back online, he gave Eddie’s hand a squeeze and looked over at him with a smile. 

He could get lost in those brown eyes. They had flecks of gold and honey, which only sparkled with the illumination of the Christmas lights and decoration around them. When he smiled, his eyes crinkled around the edges, and his nose scrunched slightly, and god Buck was falling for him hard. They weren’t even in a relationship yet... what even were they doing?

“You guys go wait over there,” Christopher says as they inch closer to the front of the line. The little man liked his privacy with Santa Claus every year, so this didn’t come as a surprise for either Buck or Eddie. If Christopher noticed that they were holding hands, then he didn’t say anything. 

“So, Christmas,” Buck says, walking with Eddie to the fountain that was merely feet away from the Santa line. 

“Christmas,” Eddie nods, glancing around at all the decorations. “I never thought I’d be into it.”

“So you’re saying you are into it?”

“I’m saying it’s growing on me,” he replies with a shrug, sitting closer to Buck than was necessary. 

“It’s growing on you? What does that even mean?” Buck chuckles. 

“I’m just saying it definitely wasn’t my favorite holiday, but...” he trails, glancing over at Christopher. 

“But?”

“Christopher loves Christmas, and you love Christmas, and you guys are important to me,” he confesses, meeting eyes with Buck again. “You’re important to me, Buck. You’re family... and sometimes it feels like you’re more than just that. I...” Eddie trails, glancing over to see his son with Santa. "You're our family, and I need you to know that, okay? You matter to us, to me, and I honestly don't know what I would do without you."

“You’re pretty important to me too, Eds,” Buck's lips twitch up into a smile, and he thinks about leaning in to steal another kiss. He wants to know if it has just as much magic as the night of the Christmas party. So, without thinking too much about it, he leans in a little closer, his lips parting just enough to--

“Are you guys ready to get some shopping done?” Christopher asks, interrupting their almost-kiss. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Buck smiles. “Who should we buy for first?”

Even if this was as good as things were going to get, Buck would be okay with that. Spending time with Eddie and Chris checked off a lot of boxes on his Christmas wishlist.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Come follow me on [Tumblr!](https://ineedapuppyandsomevodka.tumblr.com)  
> See you tomorrow with prompt day 3!


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